The railway follows the embankment along the side of the estuary
from Arnside. The link between Arnside and the main line at
Hincaster was completed in 1876 and was open until 1963. It
was primarily constructed to carry coke from the Durham coalfields
to the iron industry of Furness. At Sandside a limestone
headland projects out into the bay, so a deep cutting needed to be
created.
The cutting is tucked away and feels a million miles away from
the wide open vistas of the estuary. It's now home to a
variety of plants, including sheep's tongue ferns which enjoy the
damp micro-climate. After rain the ditch to the side of the
track bed is a great place for geohounds! The conditions
underfoot are generally good as work was undertaken to create a
hardcore footpath linking the pub with the end of the
embankment. A picnic bench can be found at the SW end.
GPS reception in the deep cutting can be tricky but should get
you about there, and the clue should be quite helpful. Log
and pencil but no swaps as we'd run out! Please re-hide well,
remembering there are quite a few muggle dog walkers along
here. It's a lovely spot with a great bit of history -
enjoy!
See also:
Sand Cut 2 - Bridge
Sand Cut 3 - Higher!
Higher!